Custom homes in Etobicoke
Custom home builder in Etobicoke.
From the Kingsway and Humber Valley to Long Branch and Mimico, Etobicoke mixes wide ravine lots with narrow lakeside ones. We help you see what fits, then design and build it under Toronto’s current rules.
Building in Etobicoke
Know the lot before you design.
- The Kingsway
- Humber Valley Village
- Princess-Rosethorn
- Edenbridge
- Sunnylea
- Islington Village
- Markland Wood
- Alderwood
- Long Branch
- Mimico
- New Toronto
Etobicoke has two very different lot patterns. North of Bloor, the Kingsway, Humber Valley Village, Princess-Rosethorn, Edenbridge and Markland Wood have wide lots, many backing onto the Humber River or Mimico Creek ravines. In the south, Long Branch, Alderwood, New Toronto and Mimico have narrower lots, often 25 to 50 ft, where many original bungalows are being replaced.
Toronto allows up to four units on any residential lot. Etobicoke is outside the wards where fiveplexes and sixplexes are allowed, but a fourplex, a home with a basement suite or a garden suite fit many lots. With a secondary suite, Toronto’s 2025 rules lift the floor space index cap, so depth, height and setbacks shape the house.
Variances go to the Committee of Adjustment’s Etobicoke York panel. Parts of south Etobicoke, including Long Branch, also have neighbourhood character guidelines that the committee looks at for new houses and lot splits.
Example lot
What fits on a typical lot in the Kingsway.
A worked example with typical setbacks. Your Lot Check uses the exact rules for your address.
- Lot
- 50 × 130 ft · 604 m²
- Setbacks
- Front 6.0 m · rear 9.9 m · sides 1.5 m
- Buildable area
- 12.2 × 17.0 m, limited by the 17 m building length
- Coverage limit
- 45% of the lot
- Footprint
- Up to about 2,240 sq ft
- Two storeys
- Up to about 4,480 sq ft
Toronto standards for an RD zone with a 15 m minimum frontage and a house with a secondary suite: front yard in line with the neighbours, a rear yard of 25% of the lot depth (at least 7.5 m), 1.5 m side yards, 45% coverage and a 17 m building length.
The rules
What Etobicoke allows today.
Current to November 2026. Rules change often; your Lot Check uses the rules in force the day we write it.
- Up to 4 units on any residential lot (since 2023); fiveplexes and sixplexes are limited to eight Toronto and East York wards and Ward 23
- Since 2025, 45% lot coverage and no floor space index cap for multiplexes and houses with a secondary suite, where the zone allowed less
- Garden suites city-wide, and laneway suites where the lot backs onto a public lane
- No minimum parking for most homes since 2022
- No development charges or parkland fees on multiplexes of up to six units
- Setbacks can be up to 10% smaller than the by-law requires without a minor variance on most urban lots (2025 provincial rule).
Approvals and timeline
From first call to keys.
Design and approvals come first, then a build of under 12 months from permit to keys.
Lot Check and survey
Two to four weeks: zoning, a topographic survey and, where trees are protected, an arborist report.
Design and pricing
Two to four months: concept plans, 3D views and a line-by-line proposal.
Approvals
A building permit in one to three months; add three to six months if you need a minor variance.
Build
Under 12 months from building permit to keys, with weekly site walks.
Check first
What can slow a Etobicoke project.
- The Ravine and Natural Feature Protection by-law and TRCA permits near the Humber River, Mimico Creek or Etobicoke Creek
- A City permit for trees 30 cm or more in diameter, on your lot or close to it
- Neighbourhood character guidelines in parts of south Etobicoke
- Building length, 17 m for most houses, which often decides the plan on deep lots
- A clear fire access path from the street for any garden suite
Questions
Building in Etobicoke.
Can I build a fourplex in Etobicoke?
Yes. Toronto allows up to four units on any residential lot, including in Etobicoke. Fiveplexes and sixplexes are limited to eight Toronto and East York wards and Ward 23.
Can I build on a ravine lot?
Often, with extra steps: a ravine by-law review, a TRCA permit if the lot is regulated, and usually a geotechnical report on slope stability. We check this first, because it shapes where the house can sit.
How long does a custom home take in Etobicoke?
About 3 to 6 months for design and approvals, plus 3 to 6 months if you need a minor variance, then under 12 months from building permit to keys.
Can I split a 50 ft lot in south Etobicoke?
Sometimes. A consent and variances to create two narrower lots go to the Committee of Adjustment, which weighs the character of the street. We’ll look at the lot pattern around you and tell you whether it’s worth applying.
Free Lot Check
What fits on your lot?
Send the address. Within two business days you get the zoning, what you can build, the approvals you’d need, a budget range and a timeline.
- Free and no obligation
- Reviewed by Sami personally
- Then, if you like, a site walk
Your request is ready to send
Online submissions aren’t connected yet. Copy your request and email it to sami@oaksmith.ca.
Thank you. Your request is with Sami.
He’ll reply personally, usually within one business day.